Tropicalspice Avis 2

I am reporting Tropicalspice.co (also operating as Tropical Spice Cyprus) for fraudulent practices and theft of banking information.
This company’s "modus operandi" is as follows: they infiltrate or intercept legitimate payment processes on popular apps (in my case, it happened while attempting to subscribe to Duolingo). They use a deceptive payment gateway that captures your card details.
Immediately after, they begin processing recurring charges (unauthorized subscriptions). In bank statements, these charges often appear under the name "Apple Pay" to confuse the user into thinking it is an official Apple payment. However, the subscription does NOT appear in the user's Apple ID, proving it is a fraudulent third-party charge.
Key points of the scam:
1. Phishing/Deception: They pose as payment processors for other well-known companies.
2. Use of Dark Patterns: They sign you up for subscriptions without explicit consent through hidden or non-existent fine print.
3. Opaque Location: They operate from Cyprus to evade easy legal claims.
4. Charges on Multiple Cards: They are able to process charges even on cards not linked to Apple Pay if they captured the data during the initial deceptive transaction.
RECOMMENDATION: If you see a charge from "Tropical Spice" on your statement, block and cancel your card immediately. Contacting their support is useless, as their business model is based on systematic theft. Report the fraud to your bank right away to initiate a chargeback
UPDATE: After I confronted them, they only issued a refund for one out of the three unauthorized charges. They have since ignored all my subsequent requests for the remaining balance and have failed to provide any documentary evidence (such as an ARN) for the missing refunds. This confirms that their partial refund was merely a tactic to stall the process. Do not be fooled by their "customer service" responses; they are simply trying to prevent you from filing a formal dispute with your bank.